Switching with the Enemy
by CuriosityKilledTheKat
Summary: It was one fine day in Mellowbrook until Brad decided to mess up a stunt, big time. With an unexpected turn of events, how will the two enemies in Mellowbrook deal with it?
1. Switch happens

Most people at such a great height would look down and quiver in fear. In the very least, butterflies would flutter about in their stomachs as they viewed the suburbs from the edge. Dead Man's Drop was exactly what the name implied; no man had ever thought of plummeting down the Drop without expecting to land in hospital.

Not Kick Buttowski. The young daredevil had long conquered the area and had done it frequently as though it were a mere walk in the park.

"Ready, Gunther?" he asked though the walkie-talkie.

"_Ready!_" came the static reply of the Nordic boy.

A wild grin broke out, and Kick's steely gaze focused on his usual trail. He gave Ol' blue a firm push, and the next second, he was rocketing down the peak like a stray lightning bolt. His excitement spiked as he picked up more speed. What a rush! The adrenaline he got never got old nor wore out whenever he did a stunt. This is what Kick lived for, until it hurt. No, even when he was hurt, he would still keep going. Nothing could take away his determination or guts to face the unstoppable forces of physics.

"Here it comes," Gunther warned softly, grabbing an armful of water balloons from a box. Wait a second, these were all of it? He was sure both he and Kick filled more than this; they had spent their entire Saturday morning preparing for this stunt!

"Where are the rest of them?" he panicked. Their obstacle course would surely fail, and lack the usual awesomeness would turn off the gathering crowd. The box was half empty! Who could've taken them-? An annoying laughter broke his train of thought. That signature laughter could belong to none other than—

"Yeah Brad!"

The trio of lunatics had arrived. Brad grinned with mischievous intent, holding his share of the water balloons. Behind him were Horace and Pansy who did the same.

Ah well, at least they were willing to help. Help him _FAIL_.

"You're going DOWN, dillweed!" Brad stated, making a thumbs down with his free hand. As if on cue, the trio launched the colourful decorations, their much more powerful aim able to reach a higher altitude. Soon, there would be no need for it, for the velocity of Kick's drop soon played to their advantage. Gunther noticed this at once and yelled.

"KICK, LOOK OUT!"

Kick bristled as his friend's warning echoed, annoyed by his brother's meddling ways. Nevertheless, he would continue the stunt. Just a few more minutes and the sign would be in his reach.

'Not on my watch,' the elder Buttowski brother thought, narrowing his eyes. He signaled to the other two and at the same time, launched it to their target. Kick glared from his position. They were using the exact tactic the duo once did during the battle for their awesome hangout.

'You're going to have to do better than that,' Kick mentally taunted, facing the challenge his beloved brother came up for him. They were just water balloons, and couldn't possibly do much harm. Brad never learns, or so he thought. Swerving every now and then for a few dead trees, he avoided each and every one of the balloons thrown at him. Kick returned a smirk, only to have it wiped off of his face when he spotted something that looked like a slingshot. What's this? Brad had one more trick up his sleeve! They were aiming something at him, he just couldn't see what!

"NOW!" Brad yelled as both Horace and Pansy released the huge rubber band. An array of darker-coloured water balloons flew their way to their target: Kick. The crash-helmeted boy tsk'd in annoyance and easily dodged them. What he didn't see coming, however, was a medium-sized rock cleverly chiseled to imitate a balloon's shape. It traveled more slowly due to its weight, but it hit dead-on, right between the eyes. Kick howled in pain, nearly falling off. There was another rock too, but this one was smaller and was aimed for the front of his skateboard. That, too, met its target. Kick barely had the time to recover and he was just a few seconds away from the sign. It became dangerously slippery from then on, for the trio had launched the next set too early. Unable to see what else was next, he failed to notice another rock in his path. The skateboard rammed into it, sending Kick flying without Ol' Blue. It was fine, his sight recovered and he was headed straight for the sign.

"Bis-CUIIITTTTS!" he shouted, his gloved fingers a mere millimeter away from the sign. He missed it! Just by a _millimeter_! Brad just cackled as he witnessed his little brother go down the more 'deadly' path and fly across the suburbs once again.

It was like a tiny miscalculation that led to this. He knew he couldn't beat Brad most of the time, he knew Brad was going to show up, but that rock! And such precision and timing! There had to be someone else behind this, Brad wasn't one for brains and neither were those dim-witted two.

'So who…?' he was so deep in thought, he had nearly forgotten he was headed for a roof.

Brad turned to his unlikely ally. "Thanks for helping, Gordie."

The brunette snorted in return. "It was easy. Piece of cake," Gordon waved it off, holding a book behind him titled 'How to beat a daredevil: For dummies' and some kind of gadget stolen from a Mellowbrook nerd.

**285 Edison Ave**

"Now, where did that screw go?"

Ronaldo scratched his head, busying himself with a toolbox. He reached for the blueprint, skimming through it again before looking up at the contraption he built right outside the garage. He wasn't quite sure what it did yet, but it looked like it could project a portal of some sort. Sure, he may have owned a lot of useful devices that came out of a science fiction movie, but inventing was something that he had yet to improve on.

"This is…difficult. Why am I doing this again?" he asked aloud to himself. Oh right, those two boys the other day motivated his desire with envy to build such wonderful, impossible-looking inventions. And Kendall, Kendall dearest, was just so hard to please! 'It's as if I don't know how to please her anymore,' he frowned hopelessly, recalling what she said some weeks ago. He needed something big; something unexpected; something expensive; something to prove his love for her; something…out of a mad scientist's lair. He glanced down at the signature of the blueprint. Dr. H***z D. The rest of the surname got his attention.

"Really, what kind of name is that? German? Austrian? Is it even a name?" he criticized the sheet of paper for it, creating a boring monologue and rant of some sort no one, not even his loony 'subordinates' would want to hear. Ronaldo sighed, stopping when he felt he made no sense anymore. The thing was, his relationship with Kendall didn't seem to be having its spark anymore. Ronaldo worked long and hard to impress her, but every time her attention was torn to that menace, his rival, _Buttowski_.

Oh how the mere thought of the daredevil grated on his nerves. Not only he had defied the laws of physics, being able to get back at him and put him in debt (he kind of deserved that, anyway), proving him wrong during Brad's little internet empire, but each time Kendall would make those…eyes at him in Ronaldo's presence. The nerve!

But then he remembered, the only reason how he and Kendall ended up together was their mutual hatred for a common enemy. Perhaps she did not hate him anymore? After all, Hate was just a stop from love, or so his mother had said once. This was the same woman who would not stop arguing and exchanging swords made of words with that man whenever they were home from work. Ugh, he would never understand woman logic. They were all so sensitive, so emotional, so…aggressive. Ronaldo shuddered, having faced Kendall during one of those unfortunate moments. Something about a certain time of a month, he had been told.

Or perhaps there was something more to Kick he had missed, when Ronaldo was too busy mentally bathing in hatred in his presence. Or maybe it wasn't hatred? Oh, for a boy, he was thinking too much. He tried to think of those rare times they both got along. There was that unusual truce when Kick was about to be expelled. The awkwardness when their hands were glued together. Neither of them wanted to annoy Kendall with their bickering, so they shut it.

Sighing, he kept working on the machine. It was almost done now, all there was left to do was connect a few wires. Briefly, he turned his attention to the weather. Ahh, it was perfect: Not too hot, not too cold, and not too windy. The neighborhood was calm and quiet, everything was peaceful and a faint cry could be heard at a distance.

A faint what?

Ronaldo jerked his head to the source, hearing a few crashes every other second.

"—And sometimes PIIIEEEEEEEE–!"

"Buttowski?"

A streak of white, red and yellow came to view, heading directly towards Ronaldo's machine in breakneck speed. The blond boy connected the wires in the wrong place in the spur of the moment due to his surprise. The contraption sparked and beeped wildly to signal a malfunction. Before it could do much else, Kick collided with it.

_**CRASH!**_

Pieces of shattered metal and debris flew everywhere as the machine exploded, enveloping everything within a 100-metre radius in thick, heavy smoke.

Having a short coughing fit, Ronaldo disregarded his feelings of irritation and anger at his work being destroyed. As a dedicated science student, he knew safety came first.

"Buttowski? Are you alri—" another coughing fit overtook him. Something must be wrong with his voice, it sounded a little deeper and rougher than usual. He waved the smoke away to clear his vision, and a bright yellow colour caught his attention. Ronaldo raised a brow, clearing the smoke again. It was closer than he thought, and he yelped in surprise. The machine must've dyed his gloves yellow or something.

"Buttowski…?" he called out for the third time. Even if Kick were his enemy, he swore if anything happened to either of them…

" I'm here…" a voice called out weakly from his right. Ronaldo sighed in relief. Again, it didn't sound right. Kick's voice wasn't as good as…Ronaldo's.

"Are you alright?" Ronaldo followed the voice, glad the smoke was finally clearing. When it did, both boys got the shock of their lives and screamed at the sight of the other.

"Y-You're…" Ronaldo stammered out.

"…M-Me." Kick finished for him.

The silence commenced. The entire neighborhood had not reacted to the explosion. It was very unusual, and so was the situation before them.

Ronaldo rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't looking at a twisted mirror. Wait, was this just a failed clone? Was this a joke played on him by the publisher of the blueprints? He was pretty sure they were laughing their heads off now. Kick has similar thoughts, staring at 'himself'. Forgetting the current situation for a second, he felt the urge to crack a joke about how good looking he was. But this was Ronaldo he was actually looking at, Ronaldo, his _sworn enemy_. Or was it?

'Kick' stared down at 'Ronaldo'. He then laughed nervously after the awkward silence that had ensued for a full minute. Ronaldo was now Kick. Kick was now Ronaldo.

Who would've thought? That the two greatest enemies in all Mellowbrook would now take a long walk in each other's boots.

**To be continued.**

**A/N**: Second fanfiction I've written and first for this awesome fandom. Constructive criticism and reviews are greatly appreciated, I hoped you enjoyed it~!


	2. Deal with it

Ronaldo offered a hand to help him up. Kick narrowed his eyes slightly and got up on his own. He brushed the dust off of his jacket; or rather, Ronaldo's jacket. He didn't even spare so much as a glance to Ronaldo. The other rolled his eyes, though slightly surprised at Kick's sudden hostility.

"I'm fine," Kick muttered, soon looking down from his new height. It was strange; he was looking down at himself. He was just confused, really. What if the other really was just a failed clone? He reached up a hand to check if his helmet was still there, but instead, he came into contact with Ronaldo's blond locks. He had the glasses too, though he hadn't noticed it the first time. It clicked in his head, but he refused to believe it. It was someone's fault, and most definitely not his, Kick decided as all rational thoughts were thrown out of the window. He shook a little; not from the cold, but from the rage that had built up after the collision.

"This is all _YOUR_ fault!" 'Ronaldo' yelled at 'Kick', leaving the other off guard at his sudden childish, immature attitude.

"My fault?" Ronaldo asked, slightly hurt from the outrage. That hurt soon turned to anger he disregarded a while ago. "How is it my fault?"

"If you hadn't built that thing in the way of my path—" Kick's poor explanation had been cut off.

"So I'm the bad guy here who's suddenly supposed to know everything? We both know the laws of physics do not apply to you. At least I'm not the one who does stupid stunts in the middle of something—"

"Stupid stunts? Stunts aren't stupid! Everything could've gotten along _PERFRCTLY_ if it weren't for—"

"Now you're just blaming me on something that YOU obviously miscalculated! Of course, leave it to the thick-headed daredevil to screw up!" 

"I wasn't done yet! And I wasn't talking about you! Stop interrupting me!"

"You're also interrupting me! Geez, you daredevils have no self-control. For all we know, you're going to end up with a condition worse than-"

"Lalalalalalala, I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"Will you just listen to me, Buttowski?"

"Well, I'm not Buttowski anymore, now am I?"

Ronaldo opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out. He looked dumbstruck, and Kick was busy enjoying his expression. Even though technically it was his own, Kick reminded himself. Hold the phone, since when was he suddenly so childish and cruel? Brad's antics or perhaps a part of somebody's personality may have finally rubbed on him. Neither of them really wanted this change. What was there to gain, rather than dealing with his enemy's troubles? It's not like they were going to learn much from it, right?

'That's right, I'm not Buttowski anymore,' Kick thought, recalling his earlier statement. He had spoken the truth, and confirmed the aftermath of the confusion. They really had swapped bodies, or maybe minds.

Ronaldo groaned. He had gone wrong with some of the calculations relating to the machine and joining those wires. Well, at least _he _knew where he went wrong. Unlike Buttowski, who now seemed like a total jerk the entire time since the collision. Now, which of the algorithms had he gotten wrong? 'Kick's' face scrunched up as he concentrated. 'Ronaldo' rolled his eyes and snapped the other out of his scientific train of thought.

"You should take a break from science."

"You should take a break from stunts," Ronaldo shot back, giving Kick an annoyed look. That ought to keep his mouth shut as he tried to think of something. Kick scowled in defeat as he realized Ronaldo was right. This just wasn't natural for either of them to hear their own voices speak against them. Heck, never had he thought such an incident was possible!

"So…what now?" Kick asked, pretending he never snapped. Ronaldo was slightly relieved and frustrated at the same time.

"We are going to fix this machine as soon as possible," He stared at the ruins of his project. The machine was reduced to many pieces, and it would take some time to re-order certain, important materials. What was it called anyway? He was sure the blueprint had mentioned something with an '-Inator' suffix. Argh, he couldn't remember right now, he'd create a better machine and give it a better name than the last one. He'd do a much better job and make sure it would be useful for Kendall dearest too.

"It's going to take quite awhile," Kick remarked, adjusting his glasses. Even though they didn't get along very well, they had that silent, unsaid alliance once again.

"You can start by finding whatever looks useful and unharmed by the malfunction," ordered Ronaldo in Kick's voice. Sure enough, there were still a few items that could be reused, like scrap metal and various components still whole. Kick looked like he was going to say something to object, but Ronaldo shot him a glare.

"Since we clearly do not like each other, it's best we get this over with as soon as possible, _Ronaldo_," the crash-hemleted boy said as 'Ronaldo' groaned.

"I see were this is going," Kick muttered, getting the point. This was going to be a long day ahead of them, who knows how far or how much of the items they'd obtain? It was best not to think about it, he doubted there would be enough time until Gunther—

Holy fish-sticks, GUNTHER! He had completely forgotten about his best friend!

What was he going to do? Speaking (Or rather, _thinking_) of the wingman, he could already see the Nordic boy headed towards his direction from a distance. Kick shifted his eyes from one potential hiding area to another, there was no time! He pulled Ronaldo inside the spacious garage and shut it before Gunther could reach them. The now-shorter boy spluttered as their task was cut short.

"What was that for? We've barely started!"

"I panicked, okay? How do you think Gunther would react to, well, _this_?" Kick gestured at his body. Ronaldo looked insulted, but Kick continued before he could jab at him.

"How do you think everyone would react? They'll think we've gone insane!" Ronaldo snorted, which earned an odd look from Kick.

"Just see it as a live, role-playing game," 'Kick' suggested. In truth, he didn't have any better ideas. In order to accomplish that, it would mean spending a lot more time with the other to pick up on mannerisms and such. Kick thought about what he already knew about the physics-obsessed nerd. All that came up were the negative things: a bully, selfish, arrogant, calculating, etc. Now that he thought about it, Kick didn't know much actually. He barely knew Ronaldo's last name, if he even had one. He made a mental note to ask about that later. Ronaldo sighed and tugged at the hand he didn't know he was holding and watched as the other retracted his hand in embarrassment.

"Alright. Since we do not have enough time to get whatever's left, I'll just reorder them. Meanwhile, I think we should stay close to each other at all times."

"Do you know how wrong that sounds?"

"Do you have any better ideas or superior acting skills?" Ronaldo shot back. "Well come on in, if you're going to act like me you're going to have to get used being me."

Kick slumped in defeat as he followed the other into the interior of the house. It looked the same as the last time he had been here. Well-kept, neat, a few photo frames here and there. He suddenly felt nervous, as if he were prodding on unwelcoming grounds. Ronaldo noticed this, but did nothing to reassure him. The daredevil sighed.

"I…" Kick started, earning a curious look from Ronaldo. Stubbornness got the better of him and Kick muttered a soft 'Nevermind' . It could wait until later. The other had lead the way towards Ronaldo's room gesturing a 'shh' as they passed by one of the rooms. Kick may have had a vague idea whose room was that, for there were four rooms on the top floor. But he thought nothing else of it as soon as they entered 'his' room, which was at the end of the corridor.

"Nice place you've got here," he commented. Like downstairs it was neat, save for a desk which was littered with science notes all over it. Once he spotted the words 'Quantum Physics' written in one of the papers, his eyes soon drifted over to the rest of the room: Bookcase, plain bed, posters of him kart-racing, science fiction stuff. Funny, he didn't spot any of the gadgets Ronaldo used against him when he worked for BattleSnax.

The said boy gave him a look. This time, it was a softer glance. Why was he here again—Oh, right! Time to get down to business.

"Okay, since we've swapped 'bodies', it's best if we learn a few things about each other," Ronaldo spoke. Kick couldn't stop himself from staring. From the way Ronaldo worded it, it sounded…strange. Like, the unintentionally flirty-creepy kind of strange. Kick shuddered; he said it in his voice too.

"Like…?" Kick prompted him to go on as the other noticed his strange look.

He looked around cautiously to make sure no one was spying on them. When he was satisfied, he continued. "Like, say…"

"KICK! KIIIIIIIIIICK," Gunther yelled out as he walked down the street. Where is he? All he knew was that a random bystander gave him directions to Kick's approximate landing. The boy felt a little irked, not very familiar with the place. "KICK?"

"Quiet down," A feminine voice yelled in reply, clearly irritated. "You're starting to sound like some—Gunther?"

"Kendall?" he asked back, surprised to see her in the area.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Kendall narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the boy.

"I'm…looking for Kick and I don't know where I am," Gunther replied slowly, unsure if he should just bolt and search somewhere else. Unlike Kick or anyone else, he hid his dislike for Kendall really well. Ever since that sap incident… He inwardly shuddered.

"Oh," her expression softened at once at Kick's mention. "I thought you might have something to do with that explosion over there," she jabbed a thumb at Ronaldo's ruined project. The Nordic boy's eyes widened.

"That must be it! That must be where Kick landed!" he broke into a run and inspected the remains.

"Near Ronaldo's house, of all places," she mumbled to herself when she caught up, also observing the damage.

"…What did you say?" Kendall backed off a little bit, startled by Gunther's tone. "T-This is Ronaldo's place. Why?"

He smacked his head in realization. "Of course!"

"Hold on Kick, I'm coming!"

Kendall watched as Gunther slowly shrank from her line of sight. Weirdos, the both of them, she thought. Ronaldo's house was still a couple of blocks away and she doubted Gunther would find the right one. If the damage wasn't there, of course. Shaking her head, she walked away from the place. Maybe she'd visit him some other time.

"So, are we clear on what we should do?" Ronaldo asked. Kick was attentive for once and nodded.

"Good, because I think we have a visitor," he glanced out of the window and Kick did the same.

"He's here!" Kick exclaimed and turned to face 'himself', who looked slightly nervous. It felt like the moment before one would have to go on stage for a performance, because that was similar to what they were doing now: Acting. 'Let's just hope neither of us screws this up,' Ronaldo gulped. Since he was 'Kick' now, he had to be there and pretend he never met with 'Ronaldo'. 'Wish me luck,' he opened the window of his bedroom, climbed down the tree in a peculiar way (_How did I do that just now?_) and breathed a sigh of relief as Kick's boots touched the ground. He had to get away, away from his own residence or at least a few blocks. He ran and looked back to see if Kick was still by the window and crashed into someone in the process.

"Kick!" Gunther shouted excitedly, helping a dazed Ronaldo up. "There you are! I was worried Ronaldo might've kidnapped you or something. Or _kick_napped," he giggled, the last part was a comment he thought out loud. Ronaldo stared, incredulous, 'Am I really that bad to you guys?' he thought.

"A-Anyway, the stunt failed. What now, Kick?" He only seemed worried for Kick's reaction. Too bad this was Ronaldo he was actually talking to. Recalling their conversation earlier, he mentally gulped. Here goes…

"We do it again," came his simple reply, accompanied with a steely gaze.

'I'm really going to regret this,' he thought, mind racing as he tried to predict what the daredevil would scheme for next stunt.

**A/N Oh my gosh I'm so late DX Sorry about this, I tried to think of ways to make this chapter better. Anywho, thank you so much for reading, I hope I haven't discouraged anyone yet _**

**Also, a big thank you to those who have reviewed :'D It made me happy and determined enough to keep this story going~ **

**Expect certain characters popping in every now and then and maybe some more of Brad and Gordie's randomness ;D**


	3. Learn something new

The crowd below the Drop booed in unison as the daredevil looked down from the edge. His expression betrayed nothing; he could care less for the attention, because all he really needed were stunts. The Quartet below him laughed and mocked him in every way once the saw who was back for more. The boy clicked his tongue in annoyance, stomped on the edge of his skateboard to make it flip a 360, and wasted no time in speeding down Dead Man's Drop once he jumped on it. He went through all the ramps without fail, executing the stunts perfectly like the most professional of stunt doubles and daredevils. Perhaps there were a few close calls, for several gasps echoed as he was nearly struck by a dead tree. The crowd started to cheer while the antagonists groaned. He felt it: The rush, the wind in his face the—

"Kick, are you alright?" a soft, caring voice asked. Ronaldo blinked a few times, a little dazed from pre-visualizing the stunt. For a moment he had forgotten who he was and why was he on top of one of Mellowbrook's famous (or infamous) peak. Then it came to him in an instant. Oh right, the stunt he was supposed to show off! Gunther tilted his head a little and glanced at him with a hint of worry.

"I'll be fine," 'Kick' replied. Ronaldo looked quite uncomfortable at their closeness, but seemed to be reassured nonetheless. He turned his sights on the obstacle course. With Ronaldo's intelligence and the help of the duo's natural skill for building, everything seemed to be perfect. He took a certain group's future interference into account, thanks to a certain daredevil's warning earlier. He gulped, fearing for his safety. Would he be the one to feel the pain or would it be Kick? This really was pretty life-threatening, should anything in his careful calculations go wrong. But then again, this was Kick. He was supposed to be fearless and instill determination in the hearts of everyone facing a difficult time.

'Live 'til it hurts,' an unfamiliar, coarse voice echoed in his thoughts.

"Here goes," he gulped and recited a silent prayer to whichever deity was listening. He planted both of his feet on the skateboard, crouched slightly, then released like a spring. The way he jumped made the board flip a 360 sideways and he gained movement forward once he landed. Three…Two…One…Ronaldo was off like a shot after reaching the edge. The crowd and whatever noises hey made blended in with the rush of the spring wind. If everything went perfectly, the three stooges and their ally would throw whatever tricks they had at him.

It was thrilling and he resisted the urge to yell in delight. Despite Ronaldo being a nerd and a former kart-racer, he had to admit being on the edge was somewhat fun! No,_extremely_ fun. His joy was cut short as Brad and Gordie prepared their respective groups.

"Well, well, the dillweed seems to enjoy the humiliation," Brad grinned devilishly at the bright, speeding bolt. Gordie scoffed, flipping his luxurious brown locks to one side for effect. "He never gives up, doesn't he?"

Once again, the brightly-coloured water balloons flew their way at 'Kick', giving him a hard time to navigate the Drop without falling over already. There was no time for doing any of those beautiful stunts: he did not have the skill and experience to rival Kick's; and it was Ronaldo's main objective to just get down safely.

This time they tried and added something different. Gordie snapped his fingers, and the four became six. "You," he ordered Anthony Michael, one of the DiPazzi twins. Gordon nodded, signaling an unspoken order. The huge male threw a kind of rope with some round weights at the end in Ronaldo's direction. It spun in the air several times as it traveled before it wrapped itself around the 'daredevil'. Ronaldo cursed, losing his balance and nearly toppling over. He caught himself and thanked for that one time he had decided to try and practice skateboarding to impress Kendall. It was a little painful, but it served well, nonetheless. Now he needed to focus on his uneven balance.

Another snap emitted from Gordie's fingers. _Whoosh! _Another use of the slingshot. Ronaldo steered clear of its path, still tied up. He kept trying to break free from the restraints as he headed towards one of the dead trees. '_Score!_' he thought as part of the rope was caught in the branches. It tore as he sped along, just in time for the ramps. He seemed a little shaky but managed to go through it, minus the impressive moves he had visualized Kick doing. That was fine, as long as he didn't blow the whole thing. Ronaldo was jus fortunate enough to have luck on his side. Lucky enough to have everything go oh-so smoothly.

There was one final part of the stunt that lead to two paths: one for victory, and another for a 'world of pain'. Kick had warned him earlier about hooking the sign; but Ronaldo did not need to be told twice. He had learnt his lesson the first time he went down the Drop, thanks to him helping the other to beat that show, Faceplant.

"He's going for the sign! He's going for the sign! WHAT DO WE DO?" Gordie panicked, causing Brad to roll his eyes. He let the other have his fun, but the elder Buttowski figured he'd leave his little brother alone for now.

"Leave it," came his simple reply. "WHAT?" Brad sighed at Gordie's outburst.

"Face it, this is getting lame," Brad sniped, both Horace and Pantsy agreed. "Let's go do something else."

Ronaldo gave a cry of victory as he succeeded in going down the right path safely. He skidded to a stop and smirked as dust and sand fell over the group. Gordie shrieked at the action, but not out of fear.

"My hair! My beautiful hair!" the spoiled brunette from West Mellowbrook wailed. 'Kick' stared. 'This…this is a _guy_ I'm looking at, right?' Ronaldo was reminded of those girls back at school. He cringed a little before darting away; not wanting to see what was next. Perhaps Brad would take the gentlemanly position of brushing the dust away and off of Gordie. The boy shuddered violently at the strange thoughts. 'What's wrong with me?' he asked himself, pushing the skateboard against the ground as Gunther caught up with him. This was the guy who made him do his homework from the time they met!

"Kick, are you sure you're…alright?" He panted heavily as Ronaldo finally stopped for him. "That stunt seemed a little…off. You even looked a little _nervous_back there!" he gestured, flailing his arms about as if it were extremely rare for Kick to do that and Kick was apparently superhuman, able to take on anything.

The other groaned inwardly. Of course Gunther would notice, he and Kick were practically inseparable! He kind of wished he were like that with Kendall or even anyone! It was too bad he wasn't 'awesome' enough. There he went again: Kendall's wish rang out in his head to sting him in the neck; but Ronaldo ignored it for now and swore to himself he'd keep her happy. 'Anything for Kendall dearest,' he smiled. Hold it, since he was Kick right now….

A dark thought entered his head, but it was immediately forgotten when he was suddenly pulled into a tight hug. 'W-Whaaa?'

"There, there" Gunther cooed and rubbed soothing circles on 'Kick's' back, making him highly uncomfortable. Yet at the same time, he liked the intimacy; the feeling of having someone being there for you no matter how _absurd_ the situation was. "I know you must have felt humiliated earlier—" '_That's not it!_' "—and that the crash was troublesome. But everything went well, so why worry?"

"I was worried?" he asked with his brows furrowed and eyes wide. Gunther looked down at him with concern once again and in that moment he realized his big mistake.

The stunts.

By not doing the stunts, he was not playing Kick's part very well. But in his defense, Ronaldo and stunts mixed together weren't meant to be! Kick, on the other hand…

**Mellowbrook Middle School**

Kick felt a little resentment towards the people who hung around with Ronaldo. They were all so stuck up, so methodical, so…_irritating! _But right now, they bent to 'Ronaldo's' will. It was so sad, the way Ronaldo had influenced them (This was the original Ronaldo he was talking about).

'And by sad, I mean _pathetic_,' Kick thought in disgust, somewhat losing a bit of the respect he gained from the blond. Earlier, he seemed so responsible, even watching out for him after the explosion. Now, the daredevil didn't know.

'People change, Clarence,' he thought to himself. He wanted to believe that Ronaldo wasn't as bad as he seemed. Sure, they were enemies, he respected that. Yes their fights were quite enjoyable, with Kick emerging as the victor in the end. But he couldn't really figure out why he even cared. He caught himself staring at a girl. This young lady was the same one who had raised the flag (or checkered handkerchief, he couldn't bring himself to bother at the moment) during their race at Mt. Hurtsmore. Ear-grating laughter rang in his head and he gritted his teeth. To his complete surprise the girl had teared up a bit and ran off. Kick was actually _glaring_ at her then left him alone, stunned at her reaction.

_Dang_, as Wade would put it. Since when did he lose his cool so fast? And that was the second time that day. Oh right, he was supposed to care because they'd swapped places. And the reason for that respect was…'Ronaldo' gasped, suddenly enlightened.

They could practically ruin each other's respective reputations, that one thing the both had in common and cherished! One huge mistake and everything could come crashing down. All their hard work…

"Mr. -I mean, Ronaldo, could you do me a favour and kindly take these to room 11C," A voice boomed before him. Ms. Fitzpatrick appeared with an armful of flasks on her person and handed all of them to Kick—err, 'Ronaldo'. His brow rose at the slip. Was the teacher about to call him by Ronaldo's surname? If so, he was so close to finding out! The blond boy had never said anything about it in their conversation earlier. He only said something about volunteering for the science fair that was in not more than a week from now.

"Sure," Kick responded, careful with the items that nearly fell out of his grasp. A quick thanks was heard from the woman before he went in the direction of the said room. Playing pretend was too easy; all he had to do was act like a smartass and be obsessed with science. Done and done! Kick definaitely had strength in those subjects. Ever since 'his' defeat in Mt. Hurtsmore, he grew curious about the entire 'Laws of Physics' thing and decided to do a little research on it. His curiosity led to fascination. Lo and behold, his grades had improved since then without Kick really noticing it. Well, how else did he manage to complete months of assignments in one night? Sure, he had no time to show all his work the following morning, and stunts did help to figure out all the answers.

'Sometimes you have to find out answers for yourself, and not rely on calculations. It's all just numbers and letters on a paper,' he thought to himself as he walked down the dark corridors. It irked him a little, but neither Kick nor Ronaldo were supposed to show fear. They both prided themselves too much, perhaps.

He kicked the door open and was soon greeted with more darkness and an eerie atmosphere. Kick shivered from the sudden cold and felt around to flick on the light switch. The old hall felt a little musty from not being used for so long. Ever since the school had expanded quite a bit with a new auditorium and gym several years ago, no one saw any use for this room anymore. And then someone started these silly rumors that it was haunted, no student dared ventured in unless it was a dare or something of the sort. Next week was going to be a busy week for every group in school: There were several sports tournaments; the science fair; art exhibition; a Shakespearean play and so on and so forth. There weren't any spots left for the science fair except for this old hall, and soon, the teachers' decision was made. Kick chuckled, recalling a few students' reactions that day but now regretted it. They weren't lying; it sure was creepy in here.

"Tch. Kick buttowski isn't afraid of anything," he stated with a determined glance, pushed his glasses up, then bit his lip when he remembered their situation. It was a good thing no one was around to hear that—

_CLUNK!_

'Ronaldo' gasped, looking around for the source. Whoops, it was just one of the flasks he dropped. At least it wasn't shattered or anything—

"Who's there?" Kick yelled at the seemingly empty hall. It wasn't so empty anymore, he could've sworn someone was there around that corner. He placed the items down on one of the tables and cautiously walked closer with nothing to defend himself. His eyes were narrowed in concentration until someone tapped his shoulder.

"AAAAAARRRR—!" His terrified scream was cut short when he whipped back to face— Emo Kid? "What are you doing here?" 'Ronaldo' whispered angrily at the purple-haired boy. The said boy looked up with him with his usual tired eyes ('Does he get enough sleep?' Kick thought) and placed some old assignments on the table nearby.

"I was sent here with some projects," the other replied quietly, unaffected by the outburst. He turned to leave but abruptly stopped by the doors and faced the blond boy.

"What did you mean by '_Kick Buttowski isn't afraid of anything'_?" Emo Kid asked with his sullen expression never wavering. Kick raised a brow, beginning to think he and Ronaldo weren't the only ones acting.

"Well, I, uh— He's a daredevil; why wouldn't he _not _be afraid of anything?" he replied simply, his brow rising further when the usually-depressed kid started to chuckle.

"It's funny you of all people would say that; I've always thought you two were enemies, constantly getting at each other's throats," he remarked, before resuming his typical look. "Everyone has their fears, no matter how stubborn they are at not showing it," And with that, he left 'Ronaldo' in the old hall. The lights flickered before shutting down completely, leaving Kick stunned at—Not by the increased creepiness of the hall—but by the words of the enigmatic boy.

**Metro Way, Cul-De-Sac**

Kendall flipped through the pages of the script she was given for the upcoming play, memorizing the lines she was supposed to say as she went along. She had to admit, Shakespearean language was a little tricky, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. What was the play if one must inquire?

Romeo and Juliet.

It wasn't that hard to guess, and the girl was a sucker for such romantic, sappy stuff. Kendall looked out of the window, observing how perfect the weather was for playing soccer. But no, her beloved parents had insisted it wasn't very good if she were involved in an accident and thus rendering her unable to act out her role in the play. Right, as if she really cared about the play. The young lady had enough confidence and brains to make some people turn green with envy. She wasn't afraid to admit she was an overachiever, though she was a _little_ iffy with being called a teacher's pet.

"I bet Ronaldo already memorized his lines," she thought out loud as the image brought a smile to her face. She was happy her boyfriend was picked as her Romeo; However, in the deep recesses of her brilliant mind, she was a little disappointed. It was as if she weren't satisfied enough of getting the major roles. Kendall frowned.

'What's wrong with me?' she thought. 'I should be grateful. Isn't this any girl would ask for?'

Something kept on nagging her at the back of her head, but she chose to ignore it. She knew exactly what it was, but dared not prod on it.

"No time," she hissed to herself closing the blinds as a crash-helmeted boy and his best buddy passed by. She could've sworn Kick shot her a longing glance as he skated on the way. "I really need to focus!"

Gunther blinked, catching the sudden action at the Perkins residence. He looked away with his jaw clamped shut, not noticing 'Kick's' nervousness.

'Fishsticks. I forgot to warn Buttowski of the upcoming play!' his brow furrowed with sweat, recalling that the school play which was right before the fair. 'Oh well, he'll figure it out on his own!' Ronaldo thought with a bright smile, confident that Kick would be nice enough to not screw up. He had seen how helpful the daredevil could be, and he'd definitely use that to his advantage.

**A/N: **Metro Way= Name of a street I made up.

I apologize for not updating regularly; a lot of things have been keeping me from finishing this chapter. Please and thank you for the reviews!


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